Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalm 138:1-3.13-15
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66.80
HIS NAME IS “GOD IS GRACIOUS”
We celebrate today the birth of one of the great men in the history of salvation, St John the Baptist. He was the man specially chosen by God to be the herald of the Messiah and to prepare the people of Israel for his coming. He was the bridge between the old and the new testaments. The birth of John the Baptist inaugurates the crossing over to the new age, the age of grace, as his name indicates “God is gracious”.
In the first reading the vocation of the prophet Isaiah helps understand the vocation of John the Baptist. He was called and chosen by God even from his mother’s womb to be his servant. He sharpened his mouth to make him his spokesperson (Is 49:1-6).
Luke narrates the birth stories of John and of Jesus as parallel accounts. In both stories, there is always something of a miracle and of wonderment in people. Again, in these stories, Luke stresses the identity and mission of both children. For John the Baptist, he was chosen by the Lord to be the herald of the Messiah. He was to go before the Lord so as to prepare his ways. He was not the Word, but the voice that announces the coming of the Incarnate Word. He was not the Christ, but the one who pointed the crowds to the Christ.
That is why St Paul in a brief survey of the history of salvation speaks of John the Baptist as the one who proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole of Israel so as to herald the coming of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of God’s promise (Acts 13:22-26).
Like John the Baptist, we too have an identity and a mission. By virtue of our baptism, we are children of God. Our mission is to make Christ known, loved and accepted as personal Saviour. May John the Baptist intercede for us so that we may be true witnesses of Christ with courage, humility and confidence. Amen
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